JAVMANewsSubsection

Gill elected to AVMA Board, District VI

​Posted Feb. 15, 2017

Dr. Ronald Gill, the only candidate who ran to succeed Dr. Chet Rawson as District VI representative in July, was declared elected to the Board when there were no additional nominees by the Feb. 1 deadline. District VI comprises Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

District VI representative-elect Dr. Gill grew up on a small farm in southeastern Illinois, the same farm where he and his wife, Terry, now live. By the age of 12, he had developed an interest in animals and science, so veterinary medicine seemed to him a logical career choice. Dr. Gill has worked as a mixed animal practitioner since 1975, when he graduated from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.

​

​

​

​

Dr. Ronald Gill

​

Dr. Gill’s participation in organized veterinary medicine began with the Southern Illinois VMA and later the Illinois State VMA, for which he spent a year as president. He has served on multiple AVMA entities, chairing both the Council on Veterinary Service and the Governance Performance Review Committee. Dr. Gill was also vice chair of the Council on Education.

With his years in private practice and organized veterinary medicine, Dr. Gill says he’s comfortable stepping into a role of leadership as a member of the AVMA Board of Directors. “Veterinary medicine faces a number of opportunities and challenges in the coming years,” he said.

“The increasing level of student debt and its current ratio to expected earning potential casts a ripple effect throughout the entire profession,” Dr. Gill continued. “It is my desire to help find a solution to this problem, which affects new graduates trying to pay off loans, those ready to buy a practice, and seasoned veterinarians wishing to sell their business.

“I strongly believe broader support for the AVMA PAC and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation could meet many of the challenges facing our profession. Therefore, I will seek ways to try to encourage increased involvement from all veterinarians in supporting the AVMA PAC and the AVMA Foundation.”